Were ancient Macedonians Greeks of Slavs?
akritas
western tribe related to the Dorians and Epirots, or an Aeolic one
related to the Aeolians of Thessaly (before the north-western tribe of
the Thessalians settled there), as scholars tend to accept today.
Nowadays it is not seriously doubted that they were Greeks, although
some opposing views have been expressed by certain modern historians
and linguists because the evidence of ancient writers has not been
interpreted correctly and the relatively limited linguistic material
preserved has not been evaluated correctly
The Ancient Macedonians initially settled in NW Macedonia. Later they
expanded into the fertile valley of Haliakmon river, where, after
having driven back or subjugated the Illyrian and Thracian tribes,
they established the Macedonian state. During this time the regions of
NW Macedonia remained independent hegemonies. Later on, the kingdom of
Macedonia expanded up to the Strymon river. Their relative isolation
for centuries, in the country that bears their name, greatly
contributed to their developing autonomous unity, both social and
political, without being greatly influenced by other Greeks and,
therefore, without the cultural development of the southern regions
Ancient sources affirm that the ancient Macedonians were Greeks, and
the linguistic conclusions, which are based on the study of the
Macedonian dialect, also attest to this.
Modern Slavs, both Bulgarians and Macedonians, cannot establish a link
with antiquity, as the Slavs entered the Balkans centuries after the
demise of the ancient Macedonian kingdom. Only the most radical Slavic
factions-mostly émi-grés in the United States, Canada, and Australia-
even attempt to establish a connection to antiquity.